Shards of Alara introduces five new worlds for Magic: The Gathering. Each of the five shard worlds has its own unique creatures, cultures, and magic. Each incorporates three colors of mana and is cut off from the other two.

Bant. Without the destructive or selfish impulses of red and black mana, Bant has become a golden utopia. Angels rule the realm with benevolence and grace. Humans and aven resolve their conflicts with ritualized combat. Duty and honor are the bedrock of this kingdom of light.

Esper. In this world of wind and waves, control is the guiding force. Cut off from the chaos of red and green mana, Esper has become a land ruled by masters of arcane magic. Enigmatic sphinxes counsel powerful wizards and seers. Everything here is observed and controlled. The forces of high magic rule supreme.

Grixis. What becomes of a world without new life? The dark wasteland of Grixis answers the question. Its denizens desperately cling to its remaining life force. Without the communal forces of green and white to bring life and compassion, it's every ghoul, demon, and necromancer for themselves.

Jund. In the absence of white or blue mana, Jund has devolved into a roiling, primordial cesspit. Dragons top the food chain, at home in Jund's countless volcanoes. While they stalk the skies, the humans, viashino, and goblins of the world lie low in Jund's tar-spotted, vine-choked canyons.

Naya. Life, passion, community, and the wild-these are what flourish without the influence of black or blue mana. In this lush land, life is celebrated. Instinct triumphs over machination. Titanic predators are shown respect, while humans, elves, and leonin seek to revere and respect nature.

KEY SELLING POINTS- A new world for Magic: The Gathering. Shards of Alara is the first set in the Shards of Alara block. This is a large set of 249 cards, which will be followed by two small expansions: Code name "Paper" in February 2009, and code name "Scissors" in May 2009.- New Rarity: Mythic Rare. Shards of Alara will introduce a new rarity for magic. Booster packs and Tournament packs will now contain land, commons, uncommons, and rares, with approximately one out of every 8 rares replaced with a mythic rare card. There are 15 mythic rare cards in Shards of Alara.- The Return of Planeswalkers. Planeswalkers are the most powerful beings in the multiverse, and planeswalker cards first appeared in the Lorwyn® expansion. This popular and powerful card type will return in Shards of Alara.- All New Mechanics: Shards of Alara will introduce several new game mechanics. Stay tuned to magicthegathering.com for updates and details.- Retooled Theme Deck offering: Intro Packs. Intro Packs will be released for the first time with Shards of Alara. Intro Packs are the perfect way to introduce new players to Magic: The Gathering, or to introduce existing players to the themes of Shards of Alara. There will be five different intro packs available with Shards of Alara.

SET SIZE AND PRODUCT OFFERINGS- There are 249 black-bordered cards in Shards of Alara. (15 Mythic Rare, 53 rare, 60 uncommon, 101 common, 20 basic lands).- Shards of Alara will be sold in Booster Packs, Tournament Packs, Intro Packs, & Fat Packs (Fat Packs contain 8 booster packs).- Booster packs will now include one basic land card, replacing a common. The expected contents of a booster is now 10 commons, 3 uncommons, 1 basic land, 1 tip/token card, and 1 rare card. A Mythic rare will appear in the rare slot in approximately 1 in every 8 booster packs.- Intro packs are a new SKU offered with Shards of Alara, and will
replace Theme Decks as the ideal entry point into a new Magic set. Each
Intro Pack contains a ready-to-play 41 card deck, 1 Shards of Alara
Booster pack, a Shards of Alara strategy insert, and a Magic the
Gathering rules insert for new players. Each deck comes with two rare
cards, one of which is a premium foil rare card that is visible through
the front of the box. There are 5 intro packs in Shards of Alara, packed
5 per box.
- WotC will also release a new type of publishing title with Shards of
Alara in the full-color trade paperback format. A Planeswalker's Guide
to Alara offers fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the set,
with concept art and insider information about the world of Shards of
Alara. An excerpt from A Planeswalker's Guide to Alara is included in
each Fat Pack.